Battery-zinc.



1,027,169. Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing.

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To all whom time comm.-

' Be it known that I, JOHN BEATTIE, a citizenof the United States,residing at Leete Island, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new, and useful Improvements inBattery- Zines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to amalgamated battery zines, and moreparticularly to a process for manufacturing the same, and has for itsobject the production of amalgamated zincs adapted for use in galvanicbatteries, and the like, which are substantially free from deleteriousmatter, and which are,

further, more highly electro-positive than amalgamated zines as producedby processes heretofore in use. These and other objects of my inventionwill be hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in theappended claims. 7

In the United States Letters Patent No. 359,838, dated March 22, 1887, Idisclosed a process for making battery zines which involved the use oflead 'and arsenic. The said process was found to be fairly efiicaciousand the zines manufactured by means of the same were quitethoroughly.amalgamated. There were present, however, in such zinescertain impurities, necessitated by the process, which wereobjectionable, and I now disclose an improved processwhereby amalgamatedzines may be produced which arenot only substantially free fromdeleterious mat ter, but which are actually more highly electro-positivethan even an amalgamated zinc comprising simply zinc and mercury.

In amalgamat-ing mercury and zinc, it is highly desirable that theprocess be conducted in such a manner that the mercury shall notbevolatilized to any considerable degree before complete amalgamationthereof with the zinc has been "brought about. In the present processthis is preferably effected by first forming an amalgam of mercury and alight metal such as sodium, which may be readily accomplished at a lowheat; and the quantity of sodium, if that be the metal used, present insuch amalgam need not be in excess of. four per cent. This sodiummercuryamalgam may be then cast into sticks or blocks of determined size, thesmall quantity of sodium present therein being sulficient to impartconsiderable tenacity to it when cold. If desired the application ofheat to the sodium and mercury, when forming the amalgam thereof, may beeffected man a-a Ma 21, 1912;

Application filed June 17, 1911. Serial No. 633,749.

a closed receptacle and in a non-oxidizing atmosphere inorder tocompletely prevent any oxidation of the. sodium or volatilization of themercury. This is not however absor lutely essential if care be exercisedin theheating operation. A determined quantity of zinc or spelter ofgood quality is. then; I

heated to fusion in a crucible or melting pot, which latter shouldpreferably be of some material not adapted to alloy with the zinc;

since, for example, if the melting pot be of iron, such metal willcombine with the zinc to form a thick sediment of zinc-iron alloy, whichsettles to the bottom of the pot and thereby causes considerable waste.A rela-' tively small quantity of the sodium-mercury amalgam is nowadded to the molten zinc to form an amalgam comprising from two to fourper cent. of mercury; the heat at which this second step of theoperation is conducted being also relatively-quite low.

While I have specified sodium as the preferred metal to be amalgamatedwith the mercury in the first step of the operation, I do not wish to belimited to this particular metal since other elect-ro-positive metalsmay be utilized; said metals, of course, having the like property offorming with mercury a firm and solid amalgam when cold, which amalgamneed have but a small percentage of such electro-positive metal presenttherein. The alkali metals appear to be best adapted for this purpose;and sodium, being the cheapest of these metals, is preferred.

In any event it is most desirable that the uct less highlyelectro-positive than zinc alone; while furthermore both the lead andthe arsenic constituted impurities which were otherwise objectionable.

The process as herein described is somewhat simpler than that set forthin my said patent, and the product resulting therefrom is alsopreferable. I'described in my former Patent 466,820, an amalgamconsisting of zinc, mercury and magnesium, but the element to Which thepresent application relates possesses advantages over that described insaid patent, in that the alkali metal, sodium, for example, is morehighly electro-positive than magnesium. It Will also be observed thatthe present element is substantially homogeneous throughout by reason ofits mode of preparation or manufacture.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A substantially homogeneous electropsoitive element for batteriesWhich comprises an amalgam of zinc, sodium and mercury.

2. A substantially homogeneous electropositive element for batteriesWhich comprises an amalgam of zinc, mercury and an alkali metal.

8. An electro-positive element for batteries, the surface and also theinterior portions of which comprise an amalgam of zinc, mercury and ametal more highly electropositive than magnesium.

In Witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of twoWitnesses.

JOHN BEATTIE.

WVitnesses:

A UILA H. HULL, ALFRED R. GRIsWoLD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

